Container carriers

ABSTRACT

Improved carriers and improvements in handling equipment to provide for accurate entry of carriers into machines for application of carriers to containers and to prevent inverted entry of carriers into machines for applying carriers onto containers.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is made to my Provisional Application No. 60/555,642, filedMar. 22, 2004, entitled “Improved Container Carriers”.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to carriers for containers for a varietyof substances and materials. Such containers are generally fabricated ofplastic or glass and have removable caps.

The present invention provides various improvements in carriers andrelated equipment.

The present invention provides improvements in bottling machines for usewith such carriers, including a plurality of posts or rods spaced abouta stack of carriers in such machine to maintain them oriented foraccurate application of carriers to containers.

Tab portions on carriers engage components of carrier applicationmachines. Tabs on carriers engage at entrance plate openings to preventthe insertion of inverted carriers.

Tabs on carriers are provided to engage the openings of carrierinstalling machines to prevent entry into the machine of invertedcarriers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art container carrier which lacks theimprovements provided by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a single handle carrier embodying some of theimprovements of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side or edge view of the carrier embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a carrier according to FIG. 2 disposedon a container;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken at line 5-5 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken at line 6-6 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken at line 7-7 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a two-handle carrier embodying certain featuresof the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an edge view of the carrier of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an elevational view showing the carrier of FIGS. 8 and 9 withhandles bent upwardly for manual grasping for carrying a container;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a two-carrier embodiment embodying features ofthe invention;

FIG. 13 is a plan view, partially in section, showing a carrieraccording to FIG. 2 disposed in an inlet opening 40 of a containerbottling machine, showing a tab feature serving to prevent entry ofinverted containers into a container capping machine;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a stack of carriers retained inposition by rods of a container bottling machine; and

FIG. 15 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 14 showing posts whichsupport and align a stack of carriers prior to carriers passingdownwardly for securement to containers.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate a preferredembodiment 10 of the present invention wherein a handle member 12 isconnected and integral with a ring or container support member 14 whichhas a plurality of inwardly extending tabs 16 to support a container atthe neck thereof. FIG. 3 is a side or edge view of the embodiment shownin FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 5, support portions or tabe 16 are integralwith the container support member 14, and have the cross-sectionalJ-shaped configuration shown. A handle portion has a gripping portion 18of generally oval cross-section, as indicated in FIG. 7. The handleportion 18 is of a cross-sectional configuration comprising twointersecting portions, as indicated in FIG. 6, and the remainder of thehandle comprises an oval configuration, as indicated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 disposed on a container 20which has a cap 22 thereon, with the handle portion 18 thereof in upwardconfiguration for manual grasping.

Referring to FIGS. 8 through 11, an embodiment is shown wherein twohandles 23, 24 are provided on a single container support structure 26,The utilization of two separate handles 23, 24 for the gripping andhandling of a single container provides advantages in that with thehandles extending upwardly together, a person can grasp the two handlesbetween a thumb and finger to lift a container. This arrangement istypically utilized with containers of small cross-section fabricated ofa non-breakable plastic, typically polypropylene. This has the advantagethat in the event that one of the two handles breaks while held by aperson and supporting a container, the container typically will notfall, or involve such a sudden shock as would be involved with only asingle handle, thus providing substantial safety and reduction of riskin falling and breaking.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rod-like portions of the handles havegenerally oval cross-sectional configurations, or in FIG. 6, acombination of oval portions. Substantial savings of material and costare provided without substantial reduction in strength in thecomponents.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 8, there is shown the manner in which thehandle 12 and the container support member 14 are blended and tapered toprovide an arched curve when bent up to 90° during the lifting orcarrying of a container, and to provide an arched curve when bent 90° inthe supporting of a filled container.

As shown in FIG. 2, the handle 18 is thicker and stronger at theshoulder 19 where it joins the container support structure 26. This isimportant in so distributing stress that the handle generally will notbreak in the region of the juncture of the shoulder with the mainportion of the handle. The increased radius of the bend effected orcaused by such taper distributes stress and greatly reduces thelikelihood of breakage in the critical area between the handle and thesupport structure 26.

The filling of containers is generally done by a machine having anupside-down suction cup member (not shown) which engages about the outerrim of respective carriers in succession to force each carrier ring downabout a bottle cap on a filled container. If a carrier ring becomeslodged under the upside-down cup member of the machine, it will not beproperly mounted ir will hot be mounted. This problem must be correctedwith expensive delay and down-time with no production until the problemis corrected.

Referring to FIG. 12, tabs 48, 50 serve the same function and purpose astabs 38 of the embodiment of FIG. 13. The tabs prevent installation of acarrier upside down in the same manner as with tabs 38 in the embodimentof FIG. 13. The tabs eliminate the problem of the carrier slipping intoa cup of the machine. The same problem exists with single-pack andmulti-pack carriers. The inner wall of the cup of the machine may besimilar to the diameter of the circle 52 (FIG. 12). The machine cupwould press the carrier down over the cap of the container which shouldbe smaller in diameter. Thus, if there were no tab on the carrier, itwould tend to slip up inside the cup as it was being forced down, therebeing substantial bending and distortion of the carrier. The ends of thecarrier have extensions 54 on which barcode labels are attached.

FIG. 13 shows the tab 38 of a carrier shown in broken lines disposed at38′ in relation to a carrier, thus to prevent the carrier from passingthrough an edge of opening 40 of a machine plate 42. The tab when thuspositioned under an edge of the machine opening prevents a carrier orcarriers from passing through the intake opening 40 in machine plate 42.If a carrier or carriers are incorrectly oriented upon insertion intothe machine, typically as by being inserted upside-down, the tab 38 thusengages at 38′ an edge portion of the opening 40 of the machine, thus toprevent loading of a plurality or stack of carriers into the feed hopperof the machine which would cause stoppage of the machine until theproblem is corrected.

If one or more carriers in a stack of carriers is disposed inwardly oris upside down at the opening 40 in machine plate 42 or, even worse, anupside-down carrier may be partially installed on a bottle by themachine, although upside down with a ring carrier portion hung up on thebottle cap. A serious problem results when a person, such as a customer,picks up the container, in that the carrier may allow the filledcontainer to fall from the carrier and fall to a floor or other surface,breaking the container, with possible resultant serious personal injury,and at least causing a substantial cleaning task.

A plurality of posts or rods 60 of FIG. 14 guide a stack of carriers andinterfere with a person inserting carriers upside down. If a personduring insertion of carriers into a hopper, drops carriers, then insertsone upside down, the stack of carriers will move down in the machineuntil the upside down carrier encounters a post and then goes nofarther. The upside down carrier will bump into the post, and stop.

The posts or rods prevent carriers from passing upside down in thehopper. A cut-out at the bottom conforms to the posts or rods to preventpassage through the throat of the machine. The carrier tab issufficiently stiff to resist its deflection. If a carrier is upside downit will not pass through. A non-symmetrical placement tab prevents thecarrier from being loaded in the hopper upside down. Any carrier in anystack cannot be upside down because the eccentric placement tabinterferes with hopper supports. A small tab or finger lays in the samedirection so that an eccentric tab is not needed.

FIG. 15 shows in dotted lines a tab interfering with the throat or apost interfering with the tab, so that a person cannot insert thecarrier upside down, as indicated in FIG. 14. A post is in the way ofthe tab with the carrier upside down. FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. 14 butdoes not show posts because FIG. 13 is a view taken below the posts.

1. A container carrier comprising: a generally circular carrier member,and a tab extending from said carrier member to engage a machine intakeopening edge to prevent entry of an inverted carrier into an intakeopening of a machine for the mounting of successive carriers onrespective containers, whereby entry of inverted carriers into saidmachine is prevented.
 2. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein a ringportion of a carrier is prevented from being retained on a bottle capbeing pressed about a container rim.
 3. A container carrier according toclaim 1, wherein the tab extending from said carrier is adapted toengage a side edge portion of an opening of the machine to preventinsertion of inverted carriers into an input opening of the machine,whereby incorrect insertion of an inverted carrier is prevented.
 4. Acontainer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the tab extends radiallyfrom the carrier periphery for prevention of inverted entry of theinverted carrier into a bottling machine for mounting the successivecarriers on successive containers.
 5. A combination according to claim 4and further comprising a machine intake opening adapted to receive saidtab on the side edge portion of said machine intake opening.
 6. Acombination according to claim 5, and further comprising a plurality ofrods disposed about stacked carriers in a machine to retain the carriersin alignment for application to successive containers.
 7. A combinationaccording to claim 6 wherein said carriers are of generally ellipticalcross-section to economize in ring material without substantialreduction in rigidity.
 8. A container carrier comprising: a carriermember of generally circular configuration, said carrier member havingtwo handles extending oppositely from the carrier member for upwardmanual bending and grasping of the handles, and tab means extending fromthe carrier to prevent insertion thereof upside-down into a bottlingmachine by extension of the tab into an edge portion of a bottlingmachine intake opening.
 9. A combination according to claim 8 whereinportions of said handles are at least partially elliptical incross-sectional configuration, whereby costs of material are reduced.